by Sophia North
"I want you to apply its theory to the present ..."
A loud banging on the walnut doors reverberated through the room and the caged raven cawed in unison. "Daaanteee!!! Open this fucking door, mate. We've got issues."
"Simone, what's happening?" Penny's panicked voice screeched in her ear.
The door blew off before she could formulate a reply. Framed in the now rather large gap created by the door's absence, stood the daunting outline of a very tall man. Simone pressed back into the chair in alarm.
"Penny, a Viking appears to want a word with me," she said without thinking.
The Viking shimmered from his position at the door to stand in front of her. Simone looked up at him from the chair, stunned into silence by his dramatic entrance.
The vampyre smiled charmingly down at her. "Well, aren't you a delightful surprise?"
Penny's constant 'Simones', with an occasional Viking threat thrown in for good measure, was the only audible sound in the room. The vampyre slid the telephone receiver from Simone's frozen fingers and put it to his ear.
"Really, your family once drove Vikings from your land?" He held the receiver to his chest. "Simone, is it? Did you know your friend ..." He paused for her to supply the name.
"Penny," she automatically replied.
"Penny? No, no, no love," he crooned back into the mouthpiece. "Surely, so noble a warrior race able to drive out Vikings would never name one of their own ... Penny."
Offended beyond belief, Penny snapped back: "My full name is Penelope, you stuck-up prick!"
"Ah yes, much more fitting. The wife of Odysseus would have indeed been a worthy opponent for my people," the vampyre replied smoothly. "Penelope, my sweet. I have to hang up now, Simone and I urgently need to have a chat. But fear not sweetheart, I see flames when we speak, most intriguing. I will be sure to visit soon enough and see if you're as hot as my vision suggests."
On that note, he placed the earpiece back onto its cradle.
"Alfred?" Simone whispered questioningly, yet inwardly was fairly confident this hunk of a vampyre could never be Dante's gay private secretary. Clad entirely in black leather, he looked like a member of the American Hell's Angels rather than the gentleman his cultured, slightly accented voice implied. Shoulder-length blond hair framed his ruggedly handsome face. His ice grey eyes, although similar to Dante's, swirled with the ferocity of Northern seas.
"He wishes, love," the handsome devil cheekily replied. The caged raven started to screech again.
"Vlad! What the hell did you do to my door?"
Vlad and Simone reacted together in acknowledgment: "Dante, where have you been?" Although Vlad added the endearment 'you motherfucker' to his greeting.
"My door?" was his only reply.
"Collateral damage," Vlad quipped back, unapologetic. "There was a fair maiden in need of a knight in black leather armour. Some cad locked her in and she required rescuing. Is that not correct, fair Simone? I mean, she was in the act of summoning a fierce Greco-Gaelic dragon to her plight when I arrived. You should be thanking me, mate - I saved you a shit-load of trouble. What's a door between friends?"
"Alfred! You let her use the telephone?" Dante shouted in outrage.
Unable to contain it any longer, Simone yelled out. "Who the hell is Alfred?"
"Me", came the reply from the gilded cage.
Crouched in the cage, completely naked, a young man in his 20s peered out at her. Simone let out a startled scream.
"Vlad!" Dante warned.
"At your service, mate," replied the vampyre, catching Simone effortlessly when she fainted. "You really must tell more about this delightful creature."
A COLD COMPRESS on her brow slowly brought Simone back to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open to behold the smooth youthful face of a young man with eyes so dark it was hard to discern if they even had pupils.
"Praise be, she wakes," his monotone voice announced. With a shimmered shake, he turned back into raven form and flew away.
Simone scooted upright in time to watch him elegantly land and hop back into his gilded cage. "Alfred's the raven!"
"Yes, love. Surely, by now this is a well established fact - you remember all the screaming and fainting, right?" The condescending tone of the latest vampyre addition to Simone's life tried her patience.
"Fuck you," Simone bluntly replied.
Vlad tilted his head back and roared with laughter. "I like her, brother. She's got strength, a lioness."
"Back away from my houseguest, Vladimir," Dante instructed sternly. "You are suppose to be helping my cause, not hindering it."
"You know how much I love being called Vladimir. Makes me recall the happy days of my youth," Vlad replied tightly, taking the chair opposite Dante. "My family's warm embrace - ah, good times. Remind me to book a session with you after we sort out this latest mess, my dear Dr. Radcliffe."
To remind Vlad of his past status as a bastard was a low blow, but sadly, also the only way to check his ego when it got out of control. And right now, Dante needed Vlad back in control.
"This is the vampyre you would entrust my life to?" Simone asked Dante incredulously.
He grimaced slightly. "Unfortunately, you and Vlad have met under rather unusual circumstances," he offered in weak explanation.
"For him or me?" Simone challenged back.
"Uh-oh brother, I see choppy seas ahead," Vlad observed jokingly until Simone's fierce expression of disapproval changed his tone. "Please, Dante - allow me to take the helm on this."
Dante sat back and nodded in agreement.
"Simone, I offer my sincerest apologies for any alarm I have caused this night. Believe it or not, most consider me to be the diplomatic one out of the two of us," Vlad tilted his head in Dante's direction and whispered conspiratorially, "he's rather notorious for his inflammatory temperament - which you've undoubtedly tangled with yourself. Come Simone, he could try the patience of Job, right?"
Unable to suppress her amusement any longer, she laughed. "You can be very charming when you want to be," she conceded. "And, like the Fool, know how to wield power through humour. Yes, I can see why you are an excellent diplomat."
"Damn, she's intelligent too. Brother, you are in trouble." Vlad laughed.
Simone directed her gaze back to Dante. He sat, hands steepled, staring at her intently. The admiration she saw glowing in his eyes made her look away.
"Gentlemen, shouldn't we be discussing the more serious matters we currently face? I, for one, would appreciate knowing exactly what those are - I've lost track of the facts with all the recent drama. Or am I alone on this?" she asked, trying to not to blush at how Dante's admiration warmed her in places best not dwelled on when one was in company.
Stirred from his chair, Dante returned with a bottle and three glasses, which he placed on the low table between the couch and the chairs they occupied. "No, you're not alone," he replied to Simone, pouring each of them a drink. "Nor do any of us possess all of the relevant facts. First, we need to take stock of what we do know and then try to figure out what to do next."
"I don't know where to start," Simone confessed. "When I try to take in everything that's happened and put my thoughts into some sort of order ... it's so fantastical, in the end I shut down. So, I'm pretty sure my two penneth is not worth much."
Downing her bourbon in one, she sat back and tucked her knees under the skirt of her dress. "I am but a pawn in this game of chess," she declared rather dramatically.
"Calm down, Alice. Don't forget it was from such a humble position you rose to become the White Queen," Vlad teased, referring to the famous chess scene in Lewis Carroll's lesser known work, Through the Looking Glass. "Which, by the way, is my roundabout attempt at saying - you are much more important than you realise, Simone. I would even go as far to say, you are key to the whole operation."
Dante looked inquisitively at his friend. "Explain."
"What she helped you to 'see' has set our world on fire. Lowerton h
as been captured by Anton and his followers. I barely made it out, but in truth, my end was never really on the cards. Anton needed me too much to deliver the final blow."
Dante's mind reeled. "Lowerton has fallen to Anton? No one before, or since, the Haan Rebellion has ever managed such a feat. Now we know he is a devout prophecy believer. But belief and a few misguided followers does not defeat the stronghold of the Vampyre world."
"Anton is much changed, brother." Vlad paused to down his drink. "And the rumours were true about him recruiting an army. His followers number many inside Lowerton. And their belief is absolute: Haan rises soon and his resurrection will mark the dawn of a new age - the Age Of Vampyre. Bunch of fucking lunatics," he snorted, plonking his glass onto the table to emphasise his point, before pouring himself another drink.
"Tell me what happened, brother," Dante encouraged. "In detail, I need details."
"Very well, if you feel it would be of benefit." Vlad settled back in his chair, swirled the amber liquid in his glass, lifted it in a salute-like gesture and drank it down. "But I warn you: it's pretty fucked up."
Chapter Fifteen
"THE ATTACK STARTED not long after I arrived. It was a bloodbath, so many of our oldest and wisest dead - an irreplaceable loss I was powerless to stop."
Simone reacted to the anguish in the Viking's voice. "Vlad, you mustn't place the blame on your shoulders. Life is not ours to control - there are events, circumstances which are beyond an individual's will to change."
"Dear Simone, if it was only that simple. I appreciate your kindness, though," Vlad replied warmly.
"No, brother, she is correct on one point. You alone do not bear the responsibility. I should have gone with you, been there to fight at your side instead of ..."
Vlad held his hand up. "Stop," he commanded, "this sappy shite accomplishes nothing. I'm fucking glad you weren't there. One of the only times Anton displayed any weakness was discovering you were not with me. His perfectly fucking formulated plan hit an unforeseen hitch there - and the outrage in his eyes pleased me immensely."
Dante noticed his friend grimace slightly when he shifted in his chair. "You are in pain," he observed, "are you injured?"
"Tis but a small nuisance," Vlad said dismissively. "I will be fine. I stopped at a bank to replenish my strength, it's just taking a moment to kick in. I lost a bit of blood in Lowerton and hadn't fed for a few days. Nothing too serious."
Dante arched a questioning brow at him. "Human blood requires no time to 'kick in' and heal us. Show me your wounds."
Vlad laughed. "Your lady's present, brother. I wouldn't want to be the cause of a change in affection once she's been exposed to my vampyric perfection."
Simone bristled at the insinuation she belonged to Dante. "I happen to be a certified medical doctor," she coolly informed Vlad. "Rest assured, I am immune to your appeal. Now show us your wounds."
"If you insist, my sweet." Vlad stood and slowly removed his shirt, a smirk of satisfaction on his full lips. Disrobed to the waist, he turned and presented his back to the two of them.
"What the fuck did Anton do to you?" Dante bit out. Vlad's broad, muscular back bore numerous crisscrossed marks. He'd been severely whipped.
"Anton took exception to my light-hearted ways and wanted to make me an example to others with similar tendencies." He shrugged back into his shirt but left it unbuttoned.
"Take that shirt back off and turn around," Simone demanded, as she rose and approached Vlad. "These have hardly begun to heal - how fresh are they?" she asked, gently inspecting his back.
"Really, Dr. Radcliffe, there is no need to fuss. I will heal shortly."
"When were you whipped, Vlad? No stalling," Dante had never heard of, or encountered, a vampyre unable to heal. Was this the work of the Haan prophecy?
"It's hard to be specific, brother, when one is chained in a dungeon and whipped unconscious. I fed round half past ten tonight, felt mostly myself and came straight here. Perhaps another shot of O Neg will do the trick," Vlad reasoned. "Alfred, old friend, would you be so kind?"
Dante flashed in and out of the room. "Here," he said, presenting Vlad with a blood bag. "Fresh in today – drink. I have yet to sample it myself, but Alfred only procures my supply from the highest quality banks in the City."
"Of course he does, mate."
Vlad drained the bag. His arms held out, he slowly turned to present his back once more. There was no visible change, he still wasn't healing.
Dante and Simone's silence disturbed Vlad. "Somebody better fucking say something," he demanded through clenched teeth.
In the wake of their continued silence, he shimmered from the room, returning with Dante's entire blood supply. Ripping into bag after bag, he drained them all within seconds. The haste of his consumption was displayed by his blood-soaked naked chest.
Still he did not heal.
"Just to be clear, human blood heals vampyres, correct?" Simone quietly asked for her own edification.
"Within moments of consumption," Dante added in clarification.
"Then there is a serious problem," she concluded.
"I have a theory ..." Dante sped to a large desk at the far end of the room and back. In his hand, he gripped a heavily embossed letter opener like a sword. " ... and goes something like ..." He slit his wrist open at the same time Simone, realising his intent, yelled, “No, wait!”
"Why would you take such a stupid risk when there was a much better first option!" Simone bellowed, rushing to his side to inspect the damage of his actions. "Or do vampyres lack even the most basic scientific methods?"
The blood from the deep slash on his wrist flowed momentarily before it instantly healed.
"We assisted in their creation, so I'd say we possess a modicum of skill in the area," Vlad dryly replied, tossing Dante his shirt to clean away the blood his experiment left. "But, what's your theory, Doc? Cos my friend here healed up fine whilst I remain a mangled mess."
Simone marched up to him, held her wrist up and said: "Drink."
Vlad gently took her outstretched arm and lowered it. "I see you share Dante's proclivity for the dramatic, Doc. Live human blood is forbidden, love. Plus, even if I wanted to, Dante would decapitate me for the pleasure."
"I am not his property! Nor do I give a damn about your rather loose set of ethics when it comes to blood consumption. Drink my blood, dammit."
"I'm starting to see why you and that feisty dragon, Penelope, are friends - you are both utterly fearless in demanding what you think is best, while at the same time carelessly dismissing the consequences your demands might create."
"There is another way to test her theory without the strings," Dante offered. "Simone, please, come here."
"Mate, I really appreciate the gesture, but I wouldn't feel right .."
"She is willing," Dante stated strongly, cutting his friend off, "and we need to know if she is correct."
"Correct about fucking what? I have no idea what her theory is, do you?" Vlad barked back.
"Yes, now shut up."
Simone went to Dante readily. His ability to understand and trust in what she wanted to try made her defensiveness towards him melt away. Even Vlad's unexpectedly gallant behaviour released a slight thaw in her feelings towards him.
Dante guided her to sit down in his chair and knelt beside her once she was seated. Tenderly, he extended her arm out by taking hold of her elbow and slowly running his thumb down to her wrist. "I am going to draw some blood - do not be frightened. No harm shall come to you."
He drew her wrist to his lips, extended his fangs, and firmly sank them into the thick vein the pressure from his thumb revealed. The puncture flowed with her rich, warm blood.
Dante held a glass under its flow until a liberal amount filled it. He released Simone from his grasp, resisting the urge to draw her flowing blood into him, to taste her essence from the source.
"Hold this to your wrist," he whispered harshly, fighting off his bloodlust for her
. "It will speed your recovery."
Simone's heart raced. The sensual act of Dante's bite, left her breathlessly wanting more. She stared down at the large flat crystal Dante had pressed into her hand, trying to cool her equally raging lust for him.
The crystal contained marbled shades from deep midnight to bright cerulean blue, entwined to create a spider-web pattern on its polished surface. Drawn to the hypnotic comfort the crystal's gridded appearance provided, she nearly dropped it when those same lines pulsed to life.
"What ... is happening?" she gasped.
"The crystal is working, now hold it to your wrist, woman," Dante instructed firmly. "It will heal you."
Unable to remain close to her, fearing he might lose control, Dante turned to go when the flash of Vlad on the attack alerted him to the immediate danger.
Leaping into the air, he knocked Vlad to the floor, hard.
"Simone, go! I will .. come for you...when it is safe," Dante shouted brokenly at her as his blood-crazed friend writhed under him, attempting to break free and continue onto the target of attack. Her.
Simone grabbed the glass of blood and cautiously approached the wrestling vampyres. "If you hold him still, I'll give him the blood."
"Fuck, Simone! This is not the time to disobey me," he growled, slamming Vlad back down. "He smells your blood, you are in danger. Get .. the .. fuck outta here."
"Allow me." Alfred, back in human form, plucked the glass from Simone and slowly approached the pair. "My, my Vladimir - you are in quite the state. Where are your noble Watcher ways now, hmmm? Nothing more than a nasty beast, aren't you?"
"Come closer Shifter, I'll show you my fucking ways. I'll take care of this useless fuck first, then you and then .. I'll rip the blonde cunt's throat out," Vlad taunted viciously, despite being restrained by Dante.
"Now boss!" Alfred instructed, shifting into raven form.
On cue, Dante forced open Vlad’s mouth and tilted his head back. Alfred flew overhead and dumped Simone's blood down his throat.
Vlad roared, tore himself free from Dante before promptly collapsing chest-down onto the floor. Eventually, he raised his head. "That was one good fucking theory, Dr. Radcliffe."